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I've just installed Office 2011 for Mac. To my great surprise, the ribbons in the programs are different from those of their Windows counterparts. But what IS really annoying is that in the Mac versions of Office programs, one cannot perform certain tasks without reverting to the use of menus! For example, I can insert a citation using the ribbon in Word, but I have to use a menu item to generate an index of figures - that's downright stupid. Is there a good resource somewhere on the internet that would describe these differences between Mac and Windows versions of Office? I haven't found anything yet and I need it badly...

I've just installed Office 2011 for Mac. To my great surprise, the ribbons in the programs are different from those of their Windows counterparts. But what IS really annoying is that in the Mac versions of Office programs, one cannot perform certain tasks without reverting to the use of menus! For example, I can insert a citation using the ribbon in Word, but I have to use a menu item to generate an index of figures - that's downright stupid. Is there a good resource somewhere on the internet that would describe these differences between Mac and Windows versions of Office? I haven't found anything yet and I need it badly...

Is solver still a Mac Excel issue in 2011? Did they add it or are there good add-ins? Thanks.

See the "Learning Roadmap" on that page, for each app respectively. It isn't a great resource comparing Mac to Windows, but it's a good resource for getting a glimpse of how Office apps are organized on the Mac.

The issue with Office for Mac is that it's developed by an own, almost isolated Team at Microsoft. Their Approach is to make a version of Office that caters to the specific need of "Mac people" (= artsy-fartsy dudes who don't do "real" work) according to Microsoft. The better approach would be to just write a one-to-one copy of Windows Office in Cocoa. But they won't do that, will they?

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Yes, you have to "revert" to the use of clearly-labeled, searchable menu commands instead of huge, abstract toolbar buttons.

It's true that Microsoft makes some odd decisions about how to organize Office, but the fundamental truth of it is that the Mac version of Office is different from the Windows version of Office because the Mac is different from Windows. If you're looking for a Windows interface, you bought the wrong type of computer.

If you're looking for a Windows interface, you bought the wrong type of computer.

I don't think it would be fair to demand the Windows Office UI on the Mac, because as you said, a Mac is different and the Application should integrate with the OS to deliver a superior experience.

But I'm not asking for the UI, I think it would just be great if there were some level of coherence between Windows and Mac versions. The ribbon is a good innovation (and I'm all for UI innovation when it adds value), and all ribbon items are still accessible (and searchable) through the Menubar. But instead of copying the structure, they came up with a completely new structure, which has nothing to do with the Mac, but with rather bewildering assumptions on Microsoft's part that people using a Mac work differently.

There are details that are just unfathomable: Why is the Filter view on a Mac a "Black Glass" modal view and a regular dropdown on Windows? It goes on and on...

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None are 100% close. The closest you're going to get is by using MS Office.

There are definitely differences (as the other replies pointed out) but nothing IMO would make me switch to an inferior office suite which I consider the others to be.

I thought there might be something pretty close.

Closest I can see across all platforms may be the web/cloud based options. Such as Google Docs and MS Live Skydrive/~Office. They should operate IDENTICALLY on Windows or Mac or ? machines if not for browser settings / peculiarities.

Keep in mind that Outlook 2011 for the Mac is a new application, version 1.0. You can not compare it to Outlook on the PC which has been a mainstay for years.

I don't use Outlook either on our Mac nor the PCs we own, however, Word, Excel, and Powerpoint work well, just as well as they do in Office 2010. As I mentioned above there are differences and Office 2011 can be improved, but what application can't?

I posted a thread elsewhere, but this touches on my question so I'll add it here as well:

Are there major FUNCTIONALITY differences between Office 2010 for Windows and office 2011 for Mac? I plan on installing Bootcamp regardless, so I'm debating between which version to eventually install.

For example, I believe that, for a time at least, macros were an issue with Office 2007 for Macs. Are there comparable issues with Office 2011?